By Will DunhamMay 7 (Reuters) – Indigenous people in the Andes domesticated the potato – a great source of starch, vitamins, minerals and fiber – 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, making this tuber a central part of their diet. These people then experienced genetic adaptations beneficial for such a diet that are still seen in their descendants living in Peru.New genomic research documents how these descendants – speakers of the Quechua language of the once-great Inca Empire – underwent fortification involving a gene called AMY1 that is involved in starch digestion, a function useful for people with a potato-centric diet.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe study found that these people possess an average of 10 copies of AMY1 – two to four more than most people. No other known population globally exceeds that number. The study also showed that the onset of these genetic changes in this population coincided with the advent of potato domestication.”It is a wonderful case of culture shaping biology,” said evolutionary and anthropological geneticist Omer Gokcumen of the University at Buffalo, one of the senior authors of the research published this week in the journal Nature Communications.”This highlights the importance of dietary adaptation in human evolutionary history, with implications for metabolism, health and the impact of domestication events on human biology,” said UCLA anthropological geneticist Abigail Bigham, also one of the study’s senior authors.At the molecular level, AMY1 governs an enzyme called amylase that is present in saliva and is respo …
